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Inter boss Antonio Conte had strong words for Inter's management team after leading his side to second place in Serie A on the final weekend of the season. 

A roller-coaster debut campaign for the ex-Juventus and Chelsea boss at San Siro ended on a high, as goals from Danilo D'Ambrosio and Ashley Young led Inter to a 2-0 win away to Italian revelations Atalanta. 

That result confirmed the Nerazzurri's position as runners-up ahead of the Bergamo side and brought them to within just a single point of champions Juventus at the season's close. 

A late surge of three consecutive victories sent Inter flying up the Serie A standings, quelling criticism directed at Conte and his charges as they struggled for consistent form earlier in 2019-20. 

But the coach was in no mood to forget those barbs and the club's failure to shield him and the squad as he revealed his frustrations. 

"The team has heart and pride, the desire to show that the criticisms we received were not correct," he fired to Sky Sport after the final whistle. 

"So there will be time for everybody to make the right evaluations, because it was a very intense year, especially for me personally. It was not easy. 

"Neither my work nor the players' work was acknowledged, I found little protection from the club when making comparisons. If you want to reduce the gap with Juventus you have to be strong on the pitch but above all off it. 

"We will have to talk to the president who is in China now. I don't like people jumping on the bandwagon now, we have to be there for the good times and bad and this has not happened at Inter. I understand that, if you are weak, it is hard to protect your team and coach." 

Conte went on to praise his charges for creating a siege mentality around San Siro when the team was struggling for results, but repeated his call for more assistance from the board. 

"We did well in isolating ourselves and creating a united front, despite the difficulties of having just three central midfielders or two forwards," he added. 

"Until two weeks ago, inappropriate against me and the players were being said on television and you need protection in those cases. We have a lot of work to do off the field, so everyone will carry out their own evaluations. 

"What I have to say is not strong, I won't mince my words: I was irritated to see some people jump on the wagon only now, when the players and I were left to deal with the bad times and we weren't protected. But it's fine, the league is over and now we have the Europa League. 

"I have a vision, I see the way we have to go if we want to move forward and I'm not talking about the transfer market, to make that clear."

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli lauded "champion" Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Rossoneri star made more Serie A history in the 3-0 win over Cagliari.

Ibrahimovic – aged 38 years and 302 days – became the oldest player to score 10-plus goals in a Serie A season with his strike against Cagliari in Saturday's 2019-20 finale at San Siro.

After having a penalty saved, Ibrahimovic netted in the 55th minute to take his tally to 10 goals in just 18 top-flight appearances since re-joining Milan from MLS outfit LA Galaxy in January.

Pioli heaped praise on the evergreen veteran striker, telling Milan TV: "Don't tell him he's the oldest to have scored 10 goals in Serie A.

"He is a champion in everything he does, he has made a very important contribution. Our improvements have gone hand in hand, individually and collectively.

"The boys will have a well-deserved rest but soon they will have to resume training at home as during the lockdown."

AC Milan are in negotiations with Ibrahimovic over a new contract, with the former Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star's deal set to expire.

"We have built something this season and it should be given consistency. So next season will be trying to build on what we've already done," Milan director Paolo Maldini told Sky Sport Italia pre-game.

"In all honesty, Zlatan is part of this project. It won't be an easy negotiation, but we fully intend to keep him with us. We have many young players who can grow exponentially with Ibra by their side.

"We might have different ways of achieving our objectives, but we need the same general vision of where we want to end up, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Milan – inspired by Ibrahimovic – have been rejuvenated since the restart, with Ragnar Klavan's own goal and Samu Castillejo's effort capping a sixth-placed finish for Pioli's side.

In-form Milan (35) have scored the most goals in Europe's top-five league since Serie A resumed in June following the coronavirus-enforced break, while only Real Madrid (31) have gained more points than the Italian powerhouse (30) in those top-five leagues over the same period – a run that led to being retained as coach.

Pioli, whose team ended the campaign in the midst of a 12-game unbeaten run in the league, added: "The boys were exceptional, a fantastic return with excellent performances. Beyond the positive results, it was important to create a mentality, it must be a basis on which to build an even more satisfying future.

"We have confidence and conviction, we also need quality. It means that we have these values. We close the season with satisfaction. We hoped we would not have to do the playoffs but we will face them with conviction. We need to close the gap with the top teams."

Maurizio Sarri believes "a little fear can do us good" after seeing Juventus prepare for their crucial Champions League tie against Lyon by losing 3-1 to Roma on the final weekend of the Serie A season.

Juve saw a 39-match unbeaten home league run dating back to April 2018 ended as Diego Perotti scored twice after setting up Nikola Kalinic to cancel out Gonzalo Higuain's opener at the Allianz Stadium.

The Bianconeri were crowned champions for the ninth straight season despite winning just two of their final eight league matches, with head coach Sarri conceding his team dropped mentally after beating Lazio on July 20.

Sarri acknowledges Juve face a tricky task against a Lyon side who won the first leg of their last-16 clash 1-0 before the coronavirus pandemic halted the tie, but feels their recent struggles may end up focusing minds.

"A little fear can do us good. After Lazio we felt the championship was won and we had a mental decline," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia. 

"Now we have to be good at having an opponent's consideration. We will start from 1-0 [down] and it will be very difficult in these conditions."

On Friday, Lyon played their first competitive fixture since March due to Ligue 1 opting not to complete the remainder of the campaign amid the health crisis.

It ended in disappointment as Paris Saint-Germain won a penalty shoot-out to win the last ever Coupe de la Ligue final but Sarri was impressed by Lyon's competitiveness.

"I was surprised that they are very well physically. It doesn't look like a team that hasn't played in a long time," he added.

"We have to be good at recharging ourselves mentally. The physical ones recover in two or three days. We have pulled the plug for a few days and from Monday we will have to be good at recovering."

Paulo Dybala was again absent for Juve against Roma as he contends with a thigh issue and Sarri says the Argentina forward will be monitored carefully in training.

"Paulo is doing quite well. Tomorrow we try to bring him to the field and see the reactions," he said. 

Lazio star Ciro Immobile said "dreams do come true" after equalling Serie A's goalscoring record and claiming the European Golden Shoe for 2019-20.

Immobile tied Gonzalo Higuain's record for most goals in a Serie A season with 36 after scoring in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Napoli.

The 30-year-old Italy forward matched the feat achieved by Higuain in 2015-16, while also collecting the coveted Golden Shoe award for the highest goalscorer in European football.

Immobile outscored the likes of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski (34), Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (31) and Barcelona captain Lionel Messi (25).

"I am super happy and proud of what I've achieved, especially when I look back to where I started and everything I went through," Immobile told Lazio Style Channel .

"If you truly believe, sometimes, dreams do come true. I can only thank the coach and staff, my team-mates, and I can assure you these records are for the whole team.

"I also thank the Lazio fans, who made me feel indispensable for this team, and I am so proud of that. I want to be a living example that if you never give up, you can achieve any target.

"I'm so proud to have my place in the history of this sport. I am moved thinking of how my team-mates greeted me in the dressing room after I scored a hat-trick at Verona. That's what the sport is about."

Lazio, who qualified for the Champions League, ended the season in fourth position, having challenged for the Scudetto prior to the coronavirus-enforced break.

Immobile is hopeful the club can continue to make strides in the league next season but admits their participation in the Champions League will present a challenge.

“Our target is to improve, although it’ll be very difficult with a whole other competition in the Champions League," he said.

Immobile has been linked with transfer interest in the Premier League but is contracted to Lazio until 2023 having joined the club from Sevilla in 2016. 

Lazio will be desperate to keep their star striker with his goals this season proving crucial as they improved upon an eighth-place finish in the 2018-19 Serie A campaign. 

Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso joked that he can only mark Lionel Messi in his dreams or on PlayStation as he looked ahead to the upcoming Champions League showdown with Barcelona.

Saturday saw Napoli end their 2019-20 coronavirus-hit Serie A season with a 3-1 victory at home to Lazio – Fabian Luiz, Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano fuelling the win.

Attention now turns to the second leg of Napoli's Champions League last-16 tie against La Liga giants Barcelona, scheduled for August 8 at Camp Nou following February's 1-1 draw.

Asked about six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi post-match, former AC Milan midfielder Gattuso told reporters: "I can mark Messi only in my dreams.

"Or if I set Napoli vs Barcelona on my son's PlayStation, trying to catch him there when I played for Milan with 10-15 kilograms less than today."

On Napoli's planned approach against Barca after seeing off fourth-placed Lazio in Serie A, Gattuso said: "I think they are very different teams [Lazio and Barcelona] with two different styles.

"Lazio mixes technical and physical skills. Barcelona are all about quality. I think it will be a different game. We don't have to think about score or not.

"We must play as a team, being confident that we can have our chances. We know that it will be an enterprise. Our mind must be free in order to express our qualities."

Napoli will be sweating on Insigne's fitness for the Barca trip after the star captain hobbled off against Lazio with six minutes remaining due to a thigh problem.

"Insigne spoke to the doctor, we'll evaluate it over the next 48 hours when we have the test results," Gattuso added. "Hopefully, it's not as serious as we first thought."

Napoli's clash with Lazio was fiery at times with Gattuso himself admitting he deserved to be sent off for his own behaviour. 

“Italian football has changed in its mentality for a few years now, nobody gives you anything for free,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia.

“I deserved to be sent off today, I freely admit I went too far, a few too many words were exchanged. Unfortunately, both parties ended up taking it up a few notches and the game suffered.

“I haven’t spoken to Simone Inzaghi yet, as it’s better for me to wait until I’ve calmed down, otherwise I tend to do even more damage.”

Following his goalscoring heroics in Saturday's FA Cup final victory against Chelsea, Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been hailed as a 'miracle worker'.

The 31-year-old scored in each half of the encounter at Wembley Stadium as Mikel Arteta's men fought back from behind to defeat their London rivals 2-1 and lift a record 14th cup.

Aubameyang cancelled out Christian Pulisic's opener from the penalty spot in the 28th minute and later finished off a fine team move in the 67th minute following Nicolas Pepe's assist.

The victory secured Europa League football for Arsenal next season after their eighth-place finish in the Premier League table, and football enthusiasts are full of praise for the Gabonese's impact, after he ended the 2019-20 campaign with 29 goals across all competitions.

Frank Lampard admitted that his Chelsea charges were not up to the task at Wembley as they threw away a winning position to lose to Arsenal in the FA Cup final. 

The Blues went into Saturday's clash as slight favourites after finishing inside the top four at the end of the Premier League season, and enjoyed a perfect start to proceedings when Christian Pulisic fired his side ahead. 

Their joy proved short-lived, however, as Arsenal turned the tables through two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to see off the challenge of Chelsea. 

To compound Lampard's frustration, Mateo Kovacic saw red for a second bookable offence while he lost Christian Pulisic, Cesar Azpilicueta and Pedro to injury, causing an acute selection headache ahead of Chelsea's imminent Champions League return. 

And the manager pulled no punches after the final whistle as he looked back on a poor display.

"We started well for 10 or 15 minutes, scored a goal and created a few chances were in control of the game," said Lampard. "But after that, we can only blame ourselves from that point in football terms.

"We got complacent. We took too long on the ball, we started playing short passes like it was a stroll. An FA Cup final can never be a stroll. We allowed Arsenal back in the game and from that point onwards, it’s always going to be difficult. A lot of today was on us.

"In the second half we came out brighter, if Christian goes through and scores as opposed to missing and doing his hamstring - well, the circumstances in the game conspired against us.

"It’s been a busy period for us. The players have given everything. With 10 men the last 20 minutes was a really difficult challenge for them. We shouldn’t become too stuck on today. Of course we are disappointed tonight, but over the season as a whole what we have managed to do, come where we did in the league, is a huge plus for us.

"Today would have been the icing on the cake but it wasn’t to be.

"There are elements of our game that we’ve worked hard on all year but there are other bits that are within you that you have to show. A couple of weeks ago here in the semi-final against Manchester United, we were fantastic. We controlled the game, we moved the ball, hit the sides and had a threat behind us.

"Then today, we were slow, played back on ourselves and invited pressure and we didn’t know where to go from that. We just didn’t perform well enough to win a final."

Chelsea will be back in action in the Champions League on August 8, when they travel to the Allianz Arena in their attempt to turn around a seemingly insurmountable three-goal deficit from the last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich.

Ogonna Chukwudi’s debut for CSKA Moscow was put on hold as Gabrielle Onguene's effort inspired their 2-1 comeback victory in Saturday's Russian Superliga triumph against ZFK Zenit Saint Petersburg.

The Nigeria international joined CSKA in February from Swedish Damallsvenskan side Djurgardens but is still waiting her first appearance for the Russian champions due to injury.

By contrast, Cameroon's Onguene netted CSKA's first goal to launch her 2020 season outing on a high, having scored four times to help CSKA win the league title and secure their Champions League ticket.

Having claimed the league diadem last season, the hosts, who ended their 2019 term with 1-0 defeat at home by Lokomotiv Moscow were keen to open their 2020 outing on a winning note against Zenit.

However, CSKA made a false start to the encounter as Maria Digurova provided the vital assist for Elena Shesterneva to hand the visitors a shock lead after just two minutes at VEB Arena.

The hosts fought back and were rewarded with a leveler when Yulia Myasnikova set up Cameroonian Onguene to open her 2020 Russian Superliga goal account for CSKA in the 19th minute.

With Zenit's Daria Shkvara sent off due to a bad challenge, CSKA leveraged on the numerical advantage as Nadezhda Smirnova struck the winner from the spot a minute from time for the holders.

Onguene, who played the whole duration of the encounter, has now scored one goal from her opening match of the season for CSKA against Zenit.

The win took CSKA to the top of the Russian Superliga log with three points from their opener and they will look to maintain their high-flying start when they visit Chertanovo Moscow on August 8.

The records just keep on tumbling for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who reached double figures for the Serie A season with his latest strike for AC Milan on Saturday. 

The ex-Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Barcelona ace went into the final match of the 2019-20 campaign in vintage form, having scored seven in nine games since the Italian top flight resumed in June following the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the process Ibrahimovic passed 50 league goals for Milan with his double against Sampdoria in July, making him the only man to reach a half-century for both the Rossoneri and Inter. 

And after netting for his club against Cagliari at the weekend the Sweden legend can now boast another little piece of Serie A history. 

His 55th-minute strike was his 10th league goal since rejoining Milan in January, making him the oldest player to reach double figures in a single campaign in history at 38 years and 302 days. 

Ibrahimovic takes the record from Lazio, Torino, Juventus and Italy idol Silvio Piola, who was 38 years and 127 days old when he achieved the feat for Novara in the early 1950s. 

Milan went on to win 3-0 at San Siro, with Ibrahimovic adding to former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan's first-half own goal and Samu Castillejo subsequently rounding off a routine victory. 

The Rossoneri thereby finished the 2019-20 season in sixth place, having taken 66 points from their 38 fixtures over the course of the interrupted campaign.

The veteran has had a huge impact on Milan since arriving in the new year, leading the club from mid-table to the Europa League. 

His future, however, remains uncertain, with his short-term deal due to expire after the Cagliari clash. 

"I hope that tomorrow will not be Ibrahimovic's last game for Milan," coach Stefano Pioli told reporters when questioned over Ibrahimovic prior to the clash. 

As for the player himself, he is in no doubt that he can continue to shine, be it at Milan or elsewhere. 

"I'm like Benjamin Button," he told Milan TV, before adding: "I've always been young, never old."

Eddie Howe has stepped down as Bournemouth manager by mutual consent.

A 3-1 win over Everton in Howe's final game in charge on July 26 was not enough to save the club from relegation, ending a five-season stay in the Premier League.

Howe, 42, has led Bournemouth in more than 450 games across two spells in charge that span all four of England's professional divisions.

"Having spent a total of 25 years with the club as both a player and a manager, this decision – made together with the club – is one of the hardest I've ever had to make," Howe, who made in excess of 300 appearances for the Cherries as a player, told fans in an open letter.

"However, although the affection and love I have for this football club will always remain, we collectively feel that now is the right time for the club to go in a new direction.

"Bournemouth will always be in my heart but I firmly believe that now is the right time foe the club to have a change.

"I have always ensured that every decision I have ever made as manager has been in the best interests of the club and its supporters, and this is no different."

Howe initially took charge of Bournemouth on a caretaker basis in December 2008, with the club bottom of the Football League having started the season on -17 points.

He masterminded an unlikely survival bid and earned promotion the following season – an achievement that sparked widespread interest in his services.

In January 2011, he made the move to Burnley but left Turf Moor to return to the south coast 21 months later.

An incredible run of two promotions in three seasons followed, with Howe's commitment to expansive, attacking football remaining largely unchecked throughout their impressive Premier League stay.

Former Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has showered praise on Mikel Arteta he guided Arsenal to a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Arteta, who won the FA Cup as a player with the Gunners, secured his first silverware as a manager as the North London heavyweights triumphed at an empty Wembley Stadium.

After Christian Pulisic’s opening strike in the sixth minute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace inspired Arsenal’s fight-back at Wembley Stadium as they lifted a record 14th FA Cup title.

The Spaniard took over at the helm of the Emirates Stadium outfit in December 2019 after working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City where he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups as an assistant manager.

After seeing how Arteta turned around Arsenal’s 2019-20 campaign to secure qualification for next season’s Europa League thanks to their FA Cup triumph, Oliseh expressed his delight and respect for the 38-year-old coach.

“Congrats and respect to Arsenal and coach, Arteta,” Oliseh tweeted. “What seemed a season to forget just days ago, ends a huge success for Arsenal: FA Cup winners, Europa League qualification, beat Liverpool and holders Manchester City.

“Extremely pleased for Arteta, who wins the FA Cup as player and coach for Arsenal.”

In July, Arteta secured two crucial victories against the top-two teams in the English top flight. He also led Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in a league outing and then guided them to a 2-0 win against Man City in the FA Cup semi-final a few days later.

They ended the 2019-20 Premier League season in the eighth spot after securing 15 wins and 14 draws in 38 league outings.

Mikel Arteta thanked Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final to give the head coach what he described as the best moment of his career.

Arteta left his position as City assistant in December after three years alongside Guardiola to take over from Unai Emery at Emirates Stadium.

The 38-year-old has enjoyed a successful first campaign at Arsenal, culminating in Saturday's win at Wembley to take their record tally of triumphs in the famous competition to 14.

And Arteta, who becomes the first Arsenal boss to win a major trophy in his first season in charge since George Graham in 1986-87, was quick to laud Guardiola.

"He has been a key figure in my development as a coach," he said at his post-match news conference. 

"He has my gratitude. I wouldn't be sitting here today without him. I have to thank him big time."

Arteta also had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to thank after his double turned the all-London final around following Christian Pulisic's early opener for Chelsea.

The Spaniard, who said after the match he is optimistic Aubameyang will sign a contract extension, praised the club captain for another match-winning display.

"Big games require big moments for big players - he did that in the semi-final and now today," he said. 

"People questioning whether he can do it in big games and he's done it today."

Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League - their lowest position since 1994-95 - but have earned a place in next season's Europa League thanks to their win over Chelsea.

Arteta is pleased with the steps his players have taken in his first eight months at the helm and is hopeful that his side can build on their latest domestic cup success.

"I think this is the best moment of my career because I know the difficulties we've been through," he said.

"I had one mission - make the players and staff believe that we could do it. Seeing the change in the dressing room is what makes me more proud.

"I completely understood the needs of this football club. I knew the challenges I was facing when I made a decision to come here and the expectations we will always have. 

"This is the first one. Let's enjoy it today. My players have been fantastic and the staff and everyone upstairs."

Arteta, who only ended his playing career with Arsenal in 2016, added: "I could write a book on my time here. Everyday has presented something different. 

"I'm very lucky the people I have around me for every decision I had to make. Until you are sitting in this seat, you don't know the responsibility you have to make. 

"I'm proud of what we've done."

After guiding Arsenal to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled with the resulting silverware as he was filmed dropping the historic trophy. 

With no-one on hand to present the cup to Aubameyang due to the coronavirus pandemic, he was left to collect it himself and immediately seemed to find the trophy hard to hold as he took it over to his team-mates to celebrate. 

But just as the Gunners were about to enjoy lifting the iconic piece of silverware for a record 14th time, the Arsenal star promptly dropped it, much to the humour of those watching on. 

Thankfully, the cup seemed to avoid any serious damage as Aubameyang eventually lofted the title over his head in celebration. 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta saw the lighter side of Aubameyang's trophy drop, taking it as a chance to promise him there will be more silverware to come at the Emirates should he decide to re-sign. 

"It can happen, I think it happened a few years back as well," Arteta said.

"He needs more experience with trophies! We can get him used to that."

Gunners defender Rob Holding also saw the trophy drop coming, noting that Aubameyang had failed to properly remove the cup from its podium. 

"I saw him walking with the bottom bit attached and I was like, 'you need to take that off!'. It seems the trend now anyway for people to drop the trophy," Holding said. 

After seeing Arsenal lose the Carabao Cup final in 2018 and then the Europa League final in 2019, this was Aubameyang's first piece of silverware at the Emirates. 

The 31-year-old has struggled to win many club trophies during his career, having won one DFB Pokal and two DFL Supercups with Borussia Dortmund. While at Saint-Etienne, his single piece of silverware was the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013. 

On an individual level, Aubameyang has never struggled to shine and has won the Golden Boot in both the Bundesliga and Premier League. He was also named the African Footballer of the Year in 2015. 

Aubameyang's future at the Emirates has been the subject of increasing speculation over the past few weeks and the attacker himself was coy when asked about it after the final.

Antonio Conte reiterated his belief that rumours linking Lionel Messi to Inter are a little farfetched, hinting he struggled to even get the club to sign Romelu Lukaku.

Inter closed out a solid 2019-20 Serie A campaign on Saturday, beating Atalanta 2-0 in Bergamo to secure the runner-up spot in Italy's top flight.

That result means they finished just a point adrift of champions Juventus, who lost 3-1 at home to Roma in their final league match.

Having already backed Conte significantly in the transfer market, Inter are expected to further strengthen ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

One somewhat outlandish report in Italy has claimed Inter are trying to lure Barcelona icon and Ballon d'Or holder Messi away from La Liga, with his future a little uncertain due to turbulence at Camp Nou.

But Conte will remain realistic, particularly after Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta likened the rumour to a "utopian" fantasy. 

"Look, only I know what I had to do to get Lukaku," he joked to reporters after the match. "Trust me, at the end of the season we will make evaluations."

Lukaku, a 2019 arrival from Manchester United, finished his maiden Serie A campaign as Inter's top scorer, having netted 23 times, and Conte paid tribute to the Belgium striker along with his attacking colleagues Lautaro Martinez and Alexis Sanchez.

"He is strong, I was already looking for him at Chelsea but then he went to United," Conte said of Lukaku. "He is an atypical footballer who can be a point of reference, but he can improve.

"Today, I also liked Lautaro and Sanchez. It is thanks to these guys if we scored 81 goals and if we finished second."

Despite Inter's strong finish to the Serie A season, Conte cut a frustrated figure at the end of the match and seemed to hit out at the club's management for a lack of support. 

The Nerazurri's season isn't yet over either with the club still alive in the Europa League and set to face off against Getafe in the Round of 16 next week. 

Conte's side beat Ludogrets 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 32 after failing to make the knockout stages of the Champions League. 

Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta has once again dismissed recent links to Lionel Messi as "fantasy", while affirming that the Argentine is likely to retire at Barcelona. 

Messi's recent strife at Barcelona, who lost their grip on La Liga to Real Madrid in 2019-20, has seen fevered speculation over his future at Camp Nou. 

And while at the start of the summer reports suggested he was to be joined at Barca by compatriot Lautaro Martinez, others claimed that the pair might link up in Italy. 

Marotta, however, moved to rule out any chance of the Argentine moving to San Siro this summer, stating that he and the Blaugrana are a perfect fit. 

"We have to be realistic, it is something which is utopian," he explained to Sky Sport following Inter's 2-0 defeat of Atalanta on Saturday, a result which earned Antonio Conte's men second place in Serie A as the season came to a close. 

"Everyone would love to have him, but it would be disrespectful to feed fantasies, and that is what these are. 

"We have to go back to reality, knowing that Messi is a great player but he is at Barcelona. He is in the perfect environment. I think he will finish his career there." 

Inter threatened at one stage to challenge Juventus for the Turin side's ninth straight Scudetto, but lost ground on their rivals prior to March's coronavirus lockdown and dropped as low as fourth before a strong end to 2019-20 clinched the runner-up spot. 

Marotta was happy to see the club retain their Champions League placing for another season, and believes there is plenty to work on in order to close the gap on the Old Lady. 

“It’s not easy to analyse it objectively. Obviously you can think you’ve thrown points away, but we also learned from those situations. We’ve seen an experienced team, with our four consecutive clean sheets to finish the season an example of that. Negative experiences become great strengths in the future," he told Inter's official website.

“We have to continue on this path, we have to keep on raising the bar and bringing our fans satisfaction. We’ve got a squad that have shown so much and proven that they’re up to the task, you can see the work that Conte’s done.”

As for the transfer market: “Our squad is strong, it’s not easy to find big opportunities. We’ll try and take advantage of the most advantageous ones.”

India’s honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Indian football and Kolkata giants East Bengal on their centenary on Saturday.

Modi took Twitter to convey his best wishes for the Red and Golds who were formed on August 1 1920. The Prime Minister’s Tweet read, “Best wishes to generations of footballers, members and of course supporters on the centenary of East Bengal. This is a milestone for Indian sport, and for the football traditions and sports-loving culture of West Bengal. May the East Bengal Mashal forever illuminate the Maidan!”

Other than the Prime Minister, West Bengal’s honourable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too wished the Kolkata giants on completing 100 years.

Banerjee’s Tweet read, “Congratulations to East Bengal & its fans for completing 100 years today. Your glorious legacy is an envy for football clubs around the world.”

August 1 is a milestone day in Indian football as one of the biggest clubs in the country and in West Bengal were born on this day.

The origin story encapsulates what the club stands for – a club with a unique identity born out of resilience against discrimination.

On July 28th Mohun Bagan was to face Jora Bagan in Coochbehar Cup and star halfback Sailesh Bose and Nasha Singh were excluded from the latter’s side. Jora Bagan’s vice-president and chairman Suresh Chandra Chaudhari requested for their inclusion but his request fell on deaf ears and so, he severed all his connections with the club.

Both these players were from the eastern part of Bengal and Suresh was also from the same region. It did not take him much time to connect the dots and he parted ways with the club immediately.

He went on to form a new club alongside Sailesh, Nasha, Shri Tait Bhusan Roy, Manmatha Nath Roy Chaudhari and Aurobindo Ghosh. Thus, on August 1, 1920, East Bengal was born.

Simba SC defender Erasto Nyoni has bought young fan Jumanne Ulimwengu a bicycle, fulfilling a promise he made to the supporter.

The Tanzania international delivered a jersey printed with his name and number on the back to the young boy for his loyalty, and after getting the jersey, Ulimwengu went on to request the Taifa Stars defender buy him a bicycle to use when going to school.

"Erasto Nyoni has awarded his fan Jumanne Ulimwengu with a jersey," Simba SC confirmed on Friday. "A couple of weeks ago, the youngster was shown by Azam TV with a t-shirt which had the player's name and number on the back.

"After rewarding him with the jersey, Jumanne requested Nyoni to also buy him a bicycle to help him get to school, and the defender promised to buy him that as well."

On Saturday, the 32-year-old delivered on his promise by buying and presenting the bicycle to his new friend.

"Erasto Nyoni has honoured his promise of buying Jumanne Ulimwengu a bicycle to be used for school," Simba confirmed on Saturday through their social media accounts. "Nyoni had made that promise on Friday when awarding the boy a jersey."

The defender is expected to be in the team to play Namungo on Sunday in the final of the FA Cup.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi will be keen to seal a treble this season, having won the Mainland Premier League title and the Charity Shield Cup, as they come up against a Namungo side who finished fourth on the league table, at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga, Rukwa.

Coach Sven Vandenbroeck told Goal he will not underrate their opponents and will, instead, pick his best squad for the final.

"It will be our final match of the season and we will, therefore, field our best squad to finish the job,” Vandenbroeck told Goal on Saturday. "I will not underrate [Namungo], they are not a team to look down upon and therefore, I have told my players what to do and what to expect in such a final. 

"It will be difficult because they can also spring a surprise, so we must be ready to deal with them," he concluded. "I am happy we have been training for the last few days since we ended the league and all the players are fit to play.

"I will go for my best squad, to finish the job and give us another trophy."

Christian Pulisic was forced to hobble out of the FA Cup final on Saturday, with the Chelsea forward suffering a hamstring injury during a meeting with Arsenal.

The United States international, who had been carefully nursed through a slight knock prior to an outing at Wembley Stadium, broke down early in the second half.

He had opened the scoring inside five minutes, becoming the first American to net in the showpiece event.

The 21-year-old looked lively once again for the Blues, with his quick feet allowing him to find the target early on.

Pulisic was looking to edge Chelsea back in front, after seeing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang restore parity from the spot, within minutes of the restart.

He was sent scampering through on goal after finding space down the Blues’ left, but crumpled to the deck moments after forcing a save from Emiliano Martinez.

There were no Arsenal defenders near him at the time, with a muscle problem leaving Pulisic on the turf.

He did get a shot away, which slipped wide of the post, but could be seen screaming in agony before making contact with the ball.

It was clear from the moment he went down that the youngster was in a lot of pain and treatment was given to him by Chelsea’s medical staff, but he was in no position to continue.

Pulisic had to be helped from the field, with anguish etched all over his face, with the biggest occasion in his debut campaign with the Blues brought to a premature conclusion.

Frank Lampard opted to introduce World Cup winner Pedro off the bench as cover for his stricken star.

It was Chelsea's second forced substitution of the encounter, having also lost Cesar Azpilicueta to a suspected muscular issue prior to half time, with Pedro then suffering a dislocated shoulder late on - with the Spaniard due to link up with Roma nursing a knock.

Lampard's side now face a nervous wait to find out the full extent of the injuries as they return to Champions League action against Bayern Munich on August 8.

"I don’t even know, I am afraid," said Lampard when asked how serious the injuries are. "I know that they are hamstring injuries with Christian and Azpi.

"They have to be scanned and assessed over the next few days and they clearly won’t be fit for next week.

"Pedro, I believe, could be a dislocated shoulder but don’t go too soon on that because I am not sure. I have not seen him as he was whisked away so it is really a disappointing end for him because it was probably his last game for Chelsea."

The Blues trail the tie against Bayern 3-0 and may bring the curtain down on their 2019-20 campaign at the Allianz Arena.

That appears to have already happened for Pulisic, with Chelsea hoping that he is not sidelined for long as the 2020-21 Premier League season is scheduled to begin on September 12.